Sympathy and micropolitics in return-to-work meetings

Abstract

The chapter examines multi-agency return-to work meetings within the Swedish social insurance system by applying the concepts of sympathy and sympathizing to explore emotions and micropolitics in meetings concerning work ability. It demonstrates how sympathizing becomes an integral part of the institutional frame and illuminates how the institutional actors step outside their specific meeting roles to sympathize with the service user drawing on the concept of footing. Furthermore, it discusses the changes in the formal meeting structure when the process of sympathizing coincides with alliances.